The reopening of La Samaritaine

We almost believe it!

At first glance, we are amazed by a marvelous facade and a charming esplanade in front of « les quais de Seine ». Then we discover the beauty area in the basement of «La Samaritaine»,which just opened. It is the largest in Europe with 3400 square meters.

And there, we are surprised to come across the big names of Beauty from Asia: SKII, Shiseido, Clé de Peau, Sulwhasoo, …! As much highlited as at Isetan or Shinsegae with multiple details of refinement, we almost feel like being in a «departo » in Japan (with diagnostic and personalization services).

With one major difference: everywhere references to French culture with the outstanding architecture of La Samaritaine, or winks to Paris at Lancôme, L’Oréal Paris, L’Occitane or Louboutin which asserts itself with a wholly Parisian fantasy with columns in Eiffel style.

Therefore a very successful impression of tasting the luxury of global cosmetics in the heart of Parisian charm ! There is also a specific space dedicated to Pure Beauty. A new topic to come ?

WALKING IN THE RAIN

If you are in Paris this month, just go to the Bon Marché where Nendo presents his AME OCHI ANA (flowers of the rain) installation until February 16th.

This is a whole new immersive retail experience where you will see :
–  a ballet of rain drops opening and becoming flowers under the main canopy,
– shop windows with design evolution from drops to flowers shapes,
– a meditative installation at the 3rd floor, where you will enter a black space. Take this white luminous path immersed in the world of rainy music. Open your umbrella and you will see on the floor Japanese flowers illustrations (as one drop could make appear a future flower).

A lively and design-oriented metaphor of life where you will definitively enjoy walking in the rain !

A VERY TRENDY CHINESE NEW YEAR !

Chinese new year is coming and brands have launched all their latest limited editions to celebrate the event. This year, several major trends can be observed, and they are in line with the ones which have been spotted in our latest Asian Trend Book!  Here is a already a sneakpeek of 2 of them : Empire of Signs & Happy Nostalgia.

If you want to discover more about them, do not hesitate to contact cmoulin@nao-design.fr for more information.

DISCOVER OUR NEW ASIAN BEAUTY DESIGN 2019-2020 TREND BOOK

Conceptualised from its 2019 Asian travels, Naō Design Trends is glad to share with you its new ‘Asian Beauty Design 2019-2020’ Cahier de Style titled ‘Going forward/ Going backward’ or ‘Jin/Hui (进/回) in Chinese.

« Going forward » or gin in Chinese is, more often than not, considered to be the only path to success. But according to the Taoism philosophy, this fast growth can not be done at the expense of humanity or nature.

This is why, hui or « going backward » is not really about going more slowly but more about finding the balance which can generate harmony or overcome the uprooting created by the fast mutations of cities, digital technology, sciences and society.

The dynamic acceleration at every levels, which is counterbalanced by a return to fundamentals, is influencing Asian designers and artists by creating new vocabularies.

To inspire your teams and infuse them with Asian culture, each theme will be illustrated by shapes, materials, colours, graphism, as well as by iconic masterpieces selected by Art & Culture Doors Agency.

Do not hesitate to contact cmoulin@nao-design.fr for more information

Hennessy partners with Naō and its Artketing service for CNY 2019 !

Many thanks to Hennessy’s team for placing their trust in Naō by giving us an Artketing special mission: to propose some Chinese special artists for the CNY 2019 program (packagings, merchandising, digital program …)

After a large series of proposals, Hennessy has enthusiastically chosen Guang-Yu Zhang a 31-year old Shanghai-based artist and one of the most notable emerging Chinese artist featured in Saatchi’s « one to watch » list. Both graduated from Central Saint Martins College in London and Academy of Fine Arts in Beijing, he blends the two cultures in a unique mix of West/East and tradition/contemporary style.

Naō has been contacting Guang-Yu, who was very happy to collaborate on such a great project. Welcoming him in Paris, our team has been traveling with him to Cognac, to let him discover with us the incredible roots, the unique story and the enchanting location of the Hennessy house. An exceptional trip and a cultural « choc » for Guanyu, as it was his first visit to France! He has been passionated by this fascinating discovery, associating himself with this inspiring adventure.

Then, it was time for great creativity … Hennessy shared the dream of harmony. « From vines to grape, from distillation to glass, from nature to people, Hennessy takes the best of nature and offers it to its Chinese consumers to celebrate this special moment » Zhang said.

His artwork, named ‘A Joyous Reunion’, incorporates the zodiac symbol of the boar and two concentric circles, an artistic representation of Hennessy’s double distillation process. Guang-Yu has been inspired by all the images seen in Cognac, without forgetting the Hennessy special boar, a key element for this CNY 2019, all reinterpreted in a colourful and festive masterpiece. 

This unique creation has been the cornerstone of a complete 360° program for a unique and engaging experience dedicated to travelers during this special, festive time of year: limited edition bottles and gift sets, retail merchandising, pop up events with the artist presence …

A tremendous success!!!

New “Japonism”: a rising beauty trend

In France, 2018 was marked by successive exhibitions and cultural events dedicated to Japan to celebrate 160 years of friendship between the two countries. The “Japonismes en France” series held from Nov.22 to Dec.2, 2018, ended on a high note, with the opening of the Shiseido Japanese Beauty Station, a pop-up store which highlighted the role of the Japanese company in Japan’s cultural influence as soon as the early 20th century.

Japonism, i.e. the influence of the Japanese civilization and arts on Western artists in the late 19th and early 20th century, was put forward in France last year with a series of exceptional cultural events. The role Shiseido played in this movement is little known. And yet, the oldest cosmetics company in the world – it was founded in 1872 – was an integral part of the wave that inspired so many artists, including great painters and many writers. The brand witnessed and actively took part in the abounding exchanges between Paris and Tokyo. Hanatsubaki, Shiseido’s magazine, perfectly embodies this ongoing, historic dialogue. Countless covers and iconic pages since the 1930s were actually exposed in the pop-up store.

It was all the more interesting to discover this pop-up store as a symbol of “New Japonism”, which has been taking over the beauty world. A sign that Japan’s influences, more relevant than ever, should be seen as trendsetters:

  • At the core of this New Japonism, the highly minimalist, zen kanso trend embodies strong ties between the brand and nature. Camellia (“Hanatsubaki” in Japanese, and the title of Shiseido’s magazine) was interpreted in all its forms (merchandising, signing, window displays) in the store to illustrate its sacred and symbolic nature. Promoted with a dedicated corner, the WaSo line offered harmonized colours and a very “kanso” representation of the ingredients, highlighted in most graphic Japanese characters. Inspired from the Japanese culinary art, Washoku, the successful line expresses this philosophy with a perfect mix of tofu, carrots, loquat tree, and honey – all from Japan. The store also offered workshops focused on this theme.
  • The ubiquity of red, as a light or flat tint, conveys the importance and appeal of this colour for bakugai (Chinese tourists in high numbers), the second most significant trend, with its design codes that inevitably seduce the brand’s strategic target.
  • Lastly, koto (experience) is another trend inspired from Omotenashi, the renowned Japanese hospitality referred to in the brand’s storytelling. Similarly to the features in Tokyo’s Ginza, a tester glorifier for the brand’s four flagship products (Ultimune, Essential energie, Bio Performance, Waso) invites you to “start your multiple sensorial journey” and “pick up a product and focus on your senses”. The mere action to take the product and discover its texture launches a video which immerses the user into the world and sensoriality of the product, focusing on themes like defence, energy, performance, or naturalness. A moment of digital, initiatory meditation…

New Japonism is a basic trend that will keep sweeping the beauty world and influencing the greatest markets for quite a while, especially China, which shares a strong cultural background. To its women consumers, Japan is still associated with know-how and quality. Pay close attention to it in 2019!!

Please contact cmoulin@nao-design.fr to discover our New ‘Asian Beauty Design 2018-2019’ trendbook, illustrated and set up in collaboration with Florence Bernardin.

Discover our new Asian Beauty Design 2018-2019 Trend Book

Conceptualised from its 2018 Asian travels, Naō Design Trends is glad to share with you its new ‘Asian Beauty Design 2018-2019’ Cahier de Style dedicated to the new ‘Japonism’

Between Kanso-Shirei (back to Essential), Koto (Experience), and Watashi (Indivualism), without forgetting Bakusai (Chinese tourists), how Beauty trends from Japan are today influencing all Asian Beauty, and especially China.

To inspire your teams and infuse them with Asian culture, each theme will be illustrated by shapes, materials, colours, graphism, as well as products rituals examples selected by Florence BERNARDIN from Information & Inspiration.

Do not hesitate to contact cmoulin@nao-design.fr for more information.